Top Six Season BSOnow.org
2014-15 top six season Guest Conductor for Saturday, November 8, 2014
ALEJANDRO GUTIERREZ
Two Great Orchestral Masterpieces SOLOIST: Carter Brey – Cello
Special thanks to our Season Sponsor
Don C. and Diane S. Lake Family
6:30 pm pre-concert talk hosted by Jerome Kleinsasser, Professor of Music, Emeritus, CSU Bakersfield
inspire a new generation
Photo by Rodney Thornburg
ABOUT THE BAKERSFIELD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CONTACT THE BSO
1328 34th Street, Ste. A Bakersfield, CA 93301 Phone: 661-323-7928 Email: info@BSOnow.org
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
M. Bryan Burrow, President & CEO Kari Heilman, Business Operations Manager Mary Moore, Orchestra Operations Manager Ineke de Lange, Executive Assistant/Sales Nicole Barnett, Executive Assistant Holly Bikakis, Graphic Artist Jerome Kleinsasser, Artist Consultant, Program Notes and Concert Preview Darlan Moore, Stage Guard Jim Mueller, Recording Engineer
ORCHESTRA OFFICERS
Elaine LeCain, President Mike Raney, Vice President Paulette Shires, Orchestra Representative Elvira Arambula, Secretary Contributions to the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra are tax-deductible for both Federal and State purposes.
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Ira Cohen, Chair Patrick Paggi, Treasurer Ken Beurmann, Secretary Hon. Jon Stuebbe, Advisor Jerome Kleinsasser, Ph.D., Advisor Julia Haney, Advisor Bradford Anderson, M.D. Holly Arnold Alexandra Batey W. Michael Chertok Morgan Clayton Chris Hamilton, Esq. Eleanor Heiskell J. Nile Kinney, Esq. Joe MacIlvaine Matthew Malerich, M.D. Nancy Oehler, Esq. Steve Sanders Dee Slade Cynthia Smizer, Esq. Rick Stevens Jay Tamsi Neil Walker Kai Wong, M.D. Honorary Life Members James Collier C.L. Clark Donald R. Lindsay Milt Younger, Esq.
2014-15 SEASON
inspire a new generation
THEATER INFORMATION
Photography & Recording - Cameras and
recording devices are not allowed in the theater.
Latecomers - As a courtesy to all patrons,
latecomers will be asked to sit in an empty seat upstairs until intermission. At intermission, latecomers can then move to their assigned seats. Quiet, Please - Avoid unnecessary noise
during the concert and turn your phone to “Silent” mode during the performance. Refreshments -Concessions are available for
purchase and consumption in the lobby. Photo by Rodney Thornburg
TABLE OF CONTENTS
5-6 7 8 9 13 14 15 16 17 18 20 23 24 27-31
Youth Music Programs Letter from the President & CEO Letter from the Guest Conductor Corporate Sponsors BSO Circle of Supporters
Lost & Found - During events, any recovered
items can be picked up at guest services at the main doors. Post event, Lost and Found is at Rabobank’s security desk located at the loading dock entrance on the south side of Rabobank Arena. You can contact security directly at 661-852-7391. Rest Rooms - Women’s and Men’s rest
rooms are located in the main lobby as well as upstairs on the second level.
Drinking Fountains - Drinking fountains
Season Sponsor
are located in the main lobby near the rest rooms.
Generous Supporters
Patrons with Disabilities - The BSO Staff
Memorials and Honorariums Concert Program Conductor’s Biography
is happy to accommodate all patrons with disabilities or special needs. Please let us know how we can make your symphony experience a pleasant one.
Concert Sponsor Orchestra Roster Soloist Biograpghy Program Notes
CONNECT WITH US
661-323-7928
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INFO@BSONOW.ORG
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BSO AFFILIATED ORGANIZATIONS BAKERSFIELD YOUTH SYMPHONY
The Bakersfield Youth Symphony seeks to serve the accomplished young musicians of the community, as well as providing another source of musical enjoyment for those who are interested in fine music. The Bakersfield Youth Symphony Orchestra remains an affiliated group of the Bakersfield Symphony, operating under its board of directors with able assistance from Parents, Symphony Coaches, and Private Teachers. The very talented Maxim Eshkenazy conducts this enthusiastic group of young people in a three-concert season. Funding is provided by corporate and private contributions, player tuition, and ticket sales. For information about the BYSO please contact Rita Gomez, President at (661) 301-3390/rigomez59@gmail.com or Regina Pryor, Vice President at reginapryor78@gmail.com. Visit www.bysorocks.org. Rita Gomez – President / Regina Pryor – Vice President / Lynn Eid – Secretary Deborah Perkins – Treasurer / Alex Navarro – Manager Marci Maynard – Librarian / Maxim Eshkenazy – Conductor
BAKERSFIELD MASTER CHORALE
The Bakersfield Master Chorale is a choral society of adult voices directed by Dr. Robert Provencio. During its concert season, the Chorale seeks to enrich community musical awareness by presenting performances of major choral literature, secular and sacred, from all musical eras. For more information, please call Charlene Sargent at (661) 477-3202 or email info@bakersfieldmasterchorale.org. Visit www.bakersfieldmasterchorale.org Susan Guerard, President / Charlene Sargent, First Vice President Bruce Wade, Second Vice President / Jana Hart, Secretary Jerry Buzzell, Treasurer/ Robert Provencio, Director/ Liz Cervantes, Accompanist
BEALE PARK BAND
The Beale Park Band is a 40 piece military styled band, directed by Douglas Kelley that plays summer concerts in Bakersfield’s Beale Park on Sunday evenings during the month June of each year. The repertoire revolves around Marches, Overtures, Musicals, Show Tunes, Waltz’s and Polka’s, concluding with a Sousa March. Concerts are from 8:00pm to 9:00pm beginning on the second Sunday in June culminating with a Patriotic program on the Sunday before the Fourth of July. Douglas Kelley, Director/ Cyndi Hicks, Manager
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2014-15 SEASON
Top Six Season 2014-2015
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CONCERT CALENDAR
BUY YOUR SEASON TICKETS NOW! All concerts are Saturdays, starting at 7:30pm at the Rabobank Theater.
alejandro gutiérrez NOVEMBER 8
tomasz golka FEBRUARY 14
teresa cheung MARCH 14
rebecca miller APRIL 11
TWO GREAT ORCHESTRAL MASTERPIECES
A HILARIOUS VISIT TO THE BARBER
MOZARTIAN MAGIC
TWO BSO PREMIERES
SOLOIST
Carter Brey, cello
SOLOISTS
BSO Opera Soloists
SOLOISTS
Elena Urioste, violin Juan Miguel Hernandez, viola
roger kalia MAY 9
GOLDSMITH & CO. IN A PHOTO FINISH
SOLOISTS
Bakersfield Master Chorale
SOLOIST
Marcin Dylla, guitar
meet our top six candidates for bakersfield’s next conductor! SPECIAL CONCERT
it’s the nutcraker ballet! Saturday, December 13, 2014 / 1:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, December 14, 2014 / 1:00 p.m.
Tickets Go On Sale Nov. 10, 2014
The Civic Dance Center and the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra celebrate the 37th anniversary of their collaboration in presentation of the ultimate tale for the holiday season, Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Ballet. For youngsters and the young at heart, the scenic favorites are all there, with live orchestral music to make your holiday season complete! Photo by Felix Adamo
inspire a new generation
I N SPIRE T HE NEXT GE NE RATION
YOUTH MUSIC PROGRAMS BSO NEXT This wonderful new program designed to inspire the NEXT generation. Generous donors are sponsoring season tickets for students to distribute to local school districts and community groups. Over 120 season tickets are attributed to this program with more interest growing. What a perfect way to connect the NEXT generation with the experience of live music. • Season tickets for students • Corporations and individuals sponsor students
Thank You To Our BSO Next Sponsors ADVANCED DISTRIBUTION CO. CHEVRON
DIGNITY HEALTH
DON C. AND DIANE S. LAKE FAMILY PLCS PLUS INTERNATIONAL, INC.
STEVENS TRANSPORTATION, INC.
TEL-TEC SECURITY SYSTEMS, INC.
UBS FINANCIAL SERVICES IRA AND CAROLE COHEN, JASON AND PATSY COHEN JAY ERICSSON VARNER BROTHERS INC.
MILT AND BETTY YOUNGER
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Photo by Bryan Burrow
Photo by Felix Adamo
YOUNG PEOPLE’S CONCERTS Teachers from across Kern County have enjoyed our programs for more than thirty years. Through our partnerships with the Kern County Superintendent of Schools, we have inspired young people to have a lifetime love for music. • The BSO hosts three themed concerts a year which are
specifically designed for children in October, December, and February. INSPIRE THE DESIRE FOR MUSIC
This program directly impacts children in the classroom and at after school programs through small group interaction with our professional musicians. • Through this dialogue, the children will experience a
powerful introduction into the world of music.
• They also recognize symphony style music is used in their
favorite movies and video games.
music education for children in Kern County
For more information about our youth programs, call 661-323-7928 or visit us at www.BSOnow.org.
Did you know over 12,000 children attend our Young People’s Concerts every year?
Partners in Music Education
ANN AND GORDON GETTY FOUNDATION BRIGHT HOUSE NETWORKS CHEVRON KCSOS PELLETIER FOUNDATION PG&E TARGET WELLS FARGO BSONOW.ORG
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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT AND CEO
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President’s Letter
M. Bryan Burrow
e had a wonderful start to our 2014-2015 season in October and with November’s concert we are ready to continue this stellar season. We are fortunate to have six top candidates join us this year with the very talented Alejandro Gutierrez in the spotlight tonight. We continue to ask for your feedback after each concert as we search for Bakersfield’s next conductor. Be sure to fill out a form available in the lobby. The Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra can only thrive through your partnership. We are in a growth mode looking to expand our concert offerings and focus more on our youth education. This means we need your help more than ever. This summer, we created the BSO NEXT program affording students the opportunity to experience a live symphony concert. There are close to 200 participants from school districts and community groups around Kern County. Two other strong youth programs we have are the Young People’s Concerts and Inspire the Desire for Music, which allow musicians to interact with students while performing recognizable music to show students that live music is amazing. We appreciate your consideration for a meaningful gift allowing the BSO to continue its mission of great concerts and youth education. People sometimes think of gifts to the BSO as $2,500, $5,000, and up, which are very appreciated, but it also takes gifts from $20 to $100 to $500. We have the ability to spread the donation over a year’s time frame, which are all tax deductible since the BSO is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Thank you for joining us this evening and we hope to see you at each concert this season. Bryan Burrow
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TONIGHT’S GUEST CONDUCTOR ALEJANDRO GUTIÉRREZ
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Good Evening! have been blessed by music and the opportunity for great music making throughout my life. There is no greater feeling and joy for me than sharing these blessings with as many people as possible. I couldn’t be happier to be here tonight with this precious community, especially knowing how closely my artistic purpose aligns with the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra’s mission, “to provide the best possible performances of great music for the widest possible audience, and provide musical education for the young people of Kern County.” I am originally from Costa Rica, and grew up experiencing the transformative power of music. In 1972, the country’s then president, José Figueres Ferrer, made the monumental decision to use music as an instrument of continued peace, making music education for all children a reality and prioritizing the cultural enrichment of all Costa Ricans. From that vision came his famous phrase “Para que tractores sin violines” (Why tractors without violins). Having personally benefitted from accessible music education and having seen the positive effects of music on the people of my home country, my vision for my tenure with the BSO would not only include innovative artistic leadership and close collaboration with an outstanding group of fellow artists, but it would also give me the opportunity to share my passion for music, music making, and music education with the people of Kern County. Through music, my dream would be to engage with the active spirit of the community, foster mutual respect, and enrich the lives of community members of all ages. Tonight’s musical delights could not be more exquisite than with these two iconic works of the orchestral repertoire. The Cello Concerto in B Minor Op. 104 by Antonín Dvorak represents one of the composer’s highest accomplishments and remains one of the most important masterpieces of the cello repertoire, due to its creatively wrought musical details, great expressiveness, fine architecture, and technical demands. The Symphony No. 4 in F Minor Op. 36 by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky will take us through a musical journey full of evocative images - fate, drama, darkness, melancholy, hope, light, and triumph. Let us all - orchestra, soloist, and audience - open our souls and let the magic of music flow around us, unite us, and transform us with its energy. Thank you for this great privilege, allowing me to collaborate with the outstanding musicians of the BSO and allowing us all to share the great joy of music together. Yours, Alejandro Gutiérrez Conductor
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inspire inspire aa new new generation generation
Photos by Rodney Thornburg
CORPORATE SPONSORS AERA ENERGY LLC anniversary
BAKERSFIELD SYMPHONY ENDOWMENT FOUNDATION BANK OF THE SIERRA BRIGHT HOUSE NETWORKS CHEVRON CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
The Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra gratefully acknowledges the generous support of foundations, corporations and businesses whose gifts have helped ensure the continuation of the BSO’s many outstanding programs. For information about becoming a Corporate Sponsor, contact the BSO at 661-323-7928.
COUNTY OF KERN FAMILY MOTORS KERN COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS KMAP, INC. CALIFORNIA RESOURCES CORPORATION PARAMOUNT FARMING CO. PELLETIER FOUNDATION PG&E STEVENS TRANSPORTATION, INC. TARGET UBS FINANCIAL SERVICES
IRA AND CAROLE COHEN, JASON AND PATSY COHEN
W.A. THOMPSON WELLS FARGO WZI, INC.
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We Are Pleased to Provide Fresh Boutonnieres For The Orchestra. F L O R A L A RT I S T RY
Specializing in Floral Design, Weddings, Special Events and Gift Items.
8200 Stockdale Highway at Coffee Road 661-834-9200 www.gardendistrictflowers.com
gala MAY 15, 2015 SAVE THE DATE
inspire a new generation
Photos by Thornburg Felix Adamo Photo by Rodney
We gratefully acknowledge the following individuals, businesses and foundations for their generous support.
BSO CIRCLE OF SUPPORTERS STRADIVARIUS CIRCLE County of Kern
$25,000 and above
City of Bakersfield
Don C. and Diane S. Lake Family
Kern County Superintendent of Schools KMAP, Inc.
Pelletier Foundation
MAESTRO’S CIRCLE
$10,000 and above
Aera Energy LLC Chevron
Claire O’Connor Frisch
Paramount Farming Co. Margaret Urner
Wells Fargo Bank
ENCORE CIRCLE
Bright House Networks Ira and Carole Cohen
$5,000 and above
Ray and Joan Dezember Houston Jewelers
Mr. and Mrs. Milton Younger
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SEASON SPONSOR
Don C. and Diane S. Lake Family
The Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra graciously thanks the Lake Family for uniting individuals and cultures in our community and supporting the education of our youth through the power of music.
inspire a new generation
GENEROUS SUPPORTERS OF THE SYMPHONY We gratefully acknowledge the following individuals, businesses and foundations for their generous support. This listing includes contributions received before October 24, 2014.
CONCERTMASTER $2,500 and above
FRIENDS OF THE SYMPHONY $100 and above
David and Ardath Albizo Jason and Patsy Cohen Lisa Delan Eleanor Heiskell Twilla Klassen Diane Sandidge Robert & Patty Young
Bob Abrams Beverly Banks Jeanne Burdick Katina Chan David Cothrun William and Mary Crommett Jess Diamond Dr. and Mrs. Phillip Dodson Dr. and Mrs. Ronald Eaves John Giumarra Jr. Ben Goossen Sam Hardy Steven Jacobs Velma Kagler Mr. and Mrs. Wendall Kinney Elaine LeCain Maxine Pihlaja Love Thomas Meyer Mary Moore Valerie Pfeiffer Leonard Sanoian Steve Sanders Chris and Cynthia Smizer Mike Stepanovich Gail Schulz Paulette Shires Jo Triplett Philip Zander
VIRTUOSO $1000 and above
Bradford Anderson Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Barmann, Sr. Lois Chaney W. Michael and Dona Chertok Peggy Darling Dr. and Mrs. Doug Davis Mr. and Mrs. Stan Eschner Roger Hess Barbara Johnson Nile and Liz Kinney Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Kirschenman Jerome Kleinsasser and Jeanne Harrie Irma Laughlin-Kolstad Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Larwood Steve and Anita Layton Joe and Suzan MacIlvaine Dr. and Mrs. Mark Miller George and Charlotte Pinheiro Jane Randolph
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George Ribble James and Thelma Royer-Cartwright Sandra Serrano Mr. and Mrs. John Stovall Hon. and Mrs. Jon Stuebbe Marilyn Vance James and Evelyn Weddle Dr. and Mrs. Kai Wong Dr. and Mrs. Tai Yoo
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Photo by Rodney Thornburg
MEMORIALS AND HONORARIUMS Memorials and honorariums are gifts given to honor family and friends in a lasting and meaningful way.
In memory of Colonel Wesley Moore Mary Moore
In memory of Gordon Johnson Barbara Johnson
In memory of Maxine Simpson Mayor Harvey Hall
In memory of Richard Southwick Mayor Harvey Hall Susan Hearn
Ivan and Shirley Foster Louise McCarthy
Mike and Karen Polyniak
In memory of Buryl Vance Marilyn Vance
In memory of Patty Fleming Marilyn Vance
In honor of Rebecca Brooks Marilyn Vance
IN-KIND DONATIONS American General Media BARC
Brown Armstrong CPA’s eMedia
Garden District Flowers KMAP, Inc.
Mike Willis Designs New City Cleaners
Kern County Family Magazine
The Southwick Family Fred Starrh
Barbara Waters BSONOW.ORG
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BAKERSFIELD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA anniversary
ALEJANDRO GUTIÉRREZ, GUEST CONDUCTOR SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2014 7:30PM – RABOBANK THEATER
6:30 pm pre-concert talk hosted by Jerome Kleinsasser, Professor of Music, Emeritus, CSU Bakersfield
two great orchestral masterpieces ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK..........Concerto for Cello in B minor, Op. 104 (1841-1904) 1..... Allegro 2..... Adagio, ma non troppo 3..... Finale: Allegro moderato – Andante – Allegro vivo SOLOIST: Carter Brey Principal Cellist, New York Philharmonic Orchestra INTERMISSION PYOTR ILYICH .................Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36 TCHAIKOVSKY (1840 – 1893) 1..... 2..... 3..... 4.....
Andante sostenuto — Moderato con anima — Moderato assai, quasi Andante — Allegro vivo Andantino in modo di canzona Scherzo: Pizzicato ostinato — Allegro Finale: Allegro con fuoco
No photography or recording of any kind is permitted during any part of the concert.
Carter Brey appears by arrangement with Sciolino Artist Management.
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ALEJANDRO GUTIÉRREZ BIO
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lejandro Gutiérrez is the Assistant Conductor of Pacific Symphony and Music Director of the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra in Orange County, California. He was Associate Conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica from 1998 to 2012 touring constantly with this orchestra around all seven provinces of the nation, as well as conducting some subscription concerts. He is the designer and conductor of several successful educational and family programs: “Discovering Beethoven”, “The Family Instruments of the Orchestra”, “From the Caves to the Orchestra”, “The Concerto”, “Halloween Masquerade”, “Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Haunted Violin”, and has been passionate introducing opera and Ballet to children with productions such as Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Donizetti’s Elixir of Love, Rossini’s La Cenerentola, Tachikovsky’s Nutcracker, and Prokofiev’s Cinderella among others. Alejandro has guest conducted Houston Symphony, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, Honduras Philharmonic, Tatui Summer Festival Wind Orchestra and MIMU Festival Chamber Ensemble in Brazil, the UT Symphony Orchestra and the Costa Rica’s National Symphonic Choir among other prestigious ensembles in Latin America. Mr. Gutiérrez has served as Assistant Conductor of the Austin Symphony Orchestra in Texas, Music Director of the University of Texas University Orchestra, Music Director and conductor for the 2011 UT Opera Center production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte and prepared the national
and international casts of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly for the Costa Rican National Lyric Opera in 2007. He has also served as music director of The University of Costa Rica Symphony Orchestra, The National Institute of Music Wind Orchestra and some musical theater productions. As music director and conductor of the University of Costa Rica Symphony Orchestra and the National Institute of Music Wind Orchestra, he led a program for new music in which he premiered winning compositions of the National Award of Composition given by the Minister of Culture. As an orchestra and chamber music artist, he has performed in Japan, Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, Spain, Austria, throughout Latin America and the Caribbean and is recipient of the Costa Rican National Prize of Music 1997, and the Special Prize of the City of Passau, Germany in 1999. Alejandro is also a passionate pedagogue, clinician and speaker, and holds a Doctorate in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Texas at Austin. BSONOW.ORG
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Top Six Season 2014-15 top six season
the bakersfield symphony orchestra gratefully acknowledges the following sponsors who generously contributed to inspiring a new generation.
TWO GREAT ORCHESTRAL MASTERPIECES November 8th, 2014
SEASON SPONSOR:
Don C. and Diane S. Lake Family CONCERT SPONSORS:
Ray and Joan Dezember ValleyPBS
please join us in the lobby... after the concert for a reception to meet the guest conductor, our soloist, and BSO musicians. (No host bar and consessions available)
inspire a new generation
BAKERSFIELD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MUSICIANS VIOLIN 1 Julia L. Haney - Concertmaster Donna Fraser Asst. Concertmaster Lee Smith Elizabeth Kinney Tim Swanson Lisa Fritz Sharon Cooper Debbie Ellis Sally Berman Anna Papikyan Ester Eunji Kang Lisa Grzanka VIOLIN 2 Jeff Fritz-Principal Deborah Perkins Elvira Arambula Marci Maynard Elaine LeCain Andrea von Schriltz Nicole Barnett Peter Marcos Jason Gomez Chrisine Snipes VIOLA Paulette Shires-Principal Stan Holcombe Alex Navarro Helen Crosby Isabel Thiroux Mathew Witmer Allison Bates Dan Liu
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Photo by Rodney Thornburg
CELLO Pam de Almeida-Principal Alex Wilson Caroline Coward Anna McCoy Erin Esses Claudia Vanderchraff David Mason Natosha Ramirez BASS Gabriel Golden-Principal Pete Scaffidi-Co-Principal Whitney Herbst Jay Rubottom Stewart Rosen FLUTE Nancy Wallace-Principal Audrey Boyle PICCOLO Rhonda Martin OBOE Brett Clausen-Principal Aaron Miller CLARINET Mary Moore-Principal Marc Tipton
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BASSOON Melissa Frey-Principal Steve Thiroux HORN Brian Smith-Principal Peggy Copp Lucy Adams Tim McFadden TRUMPET Michael C. Raney-Principal Steve O’Connor TROMBONE Jay Jarrett-Principal Marisa Aoki Norm Campbell TUBA Glenn Bowles-Principal PERCUSSION Ernie Cervantes-Prinicipal Cyndi Hicks Ray Ayala Matt Bornong
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TONIGHT’S GUEST SOLOIST CARTER BREY
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arter Brey was appointed Principal Cellist of the New York Philharmonic in 1996, and made his subscription debut as soloist with the Orchestra in May 1997, performing Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations led by then-Music Director Kurt Masur. He has performed as soloist in subsequent seasons in the Elgar Cello Concerto with André Previn conducting; in William Schuman’s A Song of Orpheus with Christian Thielemann; in the Barber Concerto with conductor Alan Gilbert; in Richard Strauss’sDon Quixote with Music Director Lorin Maazel and with former Music Director Zubin Mehta; and in the Brahms Double Concerto with Concertmaster Glenn Dicterow and conductor Christoph Eschenbach, as well as with Lorin Maazel on the orchestra’s 2007 tour of Europe. The Brahms was also performed at the Tanglewood Music Center in the summer of 2002 as part of Kurt Masur’s final concerts as Philharmonic Music Director. (Mr. Brey most recently performed Boccherini’s Cello Concerto in D with Riccardo Muti conducting in April of 2010.) Carter Brey rose to international attention in 1981 as a prizewinner in the Rostropovich International Cello Competition. Subsequent appearances with Mstislav Rostropovich and the National Symphony Orchestra were
unanimously praised. His awards include the Gregor Piatigorsky Memorial Prize, the Avery Fisher Career Grant, and Young Concert Artists’ Michaels Award. He was the first musician to win the Arts Council of America’s Performing Arts Prize. Mr. Brey has performed as soloist with many of America’s major symphony orchestras. His chamber music career is equally distinguished. He has made regular appearances with the Tokyo and Emerson string quartets as well as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Spoleto Festival in the U.S. and Italy, and the Santa Fe Chamber Music and La Jolla Chamber Music festivals, among others. He presents an ongoing series of duo recitals with pianist Christopher O’Riley; together they have recorded The Latin American Album, a disc of compositions from South America and Mexico (Helicon Records). His recording with Garrick Ohlsson of the complete works of Chopin for cello and piano was released by Arabesque in the fall of 2002 to great acclaim. A faculty member of the Curtis Institute, Mr. Brey appeared as soloist with the Curtis Orchestra at Verizon Hall and Carnegie Hall in April of 2009. Mr. Brey was educated at the Peabody Institute, where he studied with Laurence Lesser and Stephen Kates, and at Yale University, where he studied with Aldo Parisot and was a Wardwell Fellow and a Houpt Scholar. He lives in New York City with his wife, Ilaria Dagnini Brey, and their two children, Ottavia and Lucas. Among his outside interests are marathon running, ballroom dancing, and sailing.
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Sunday, Dec. 7, 2014
Mark 209
Sunday, Jan.11. 2015
Harmonies Girls Choir
Sunday, Jan.25, 2015
Alex DePue with Miguel De Hoyos
Sunday, March 1, 2015 WindSync
2014-2015
Showcase of Entertainment
Sunday, April 12, 2015 Los 3 Ortiz Monday, May 4, 2015
Presidio Brass
Rabobank Theater, 1001 Truxtun Avenue Sundays at 3:00 p.m., all others at 7:30 p.m.
Info: 661-205-8522 or 661-589-2478 For details: visit www.bakersfieldcca.org.
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ABOUT THE MUSIC JEROME S. KLEINSASSER NOVEMBER 8, 2014 Concerto in B minor for Cello, Op. 104 Antonin Dvořák (1841 – 1904) By the time Czech composer Antonin Dvořák visited America in 1892 he was in his mid-fifties and one of the foremost living composers. The following three “American years” proved fruitful, producing his Ninth Symphony (“From the New World”), two string quartets, including the “American” quartet, a suite for piano and a song cycle based on biblical texts. The composer visited the U. S. at the behest of philanthropist Jeannette Thurber, with marching orders to create an “American School of composition.” Perhaps the best-known result of the visit was Dvořák’s well-publicized reproach of U. S. composers for fashioning their works after European models to the total exclusion of native sources such as American Indian music and rich troves offered by post-Civil War Black American culture. Dvořák had already completed concertos for piano and violin, as well as one for cello in A-major that lay neglected. Begun in November 1894, the B-minor concerto largely took shape over a span of four months. It was essentially complete when he returned to his home in Bohemia in the spring of 1895. The concerto was written in collaboration with the composer’s friend, the very distinguished Czech cellist Hanuš Wuhan. Its title page bears a dedication with his name, though disagreements arose between the two regarding cadenzas, and the honor of the first performance with orchestra went to English cellist, Leo Stern, in London on March 19, 1896. The imposing compass of this concerto sets it apart from all others. It has been referred to as a “symphonic concerto” since the orchestra is not confined to its traditional deference toward the solo instrument, rather, both are treated equally throughout. Perhaps due to its American origins, this concerto is stylistically largely neutral culturally as it rarely suggests the Bohemian folk-like references that pervade so much of Dvořák’s symphonic output. Johannes Brahms, a mentor and friend of Dvořák, and already with a double concerto for violin and cello to his credit, upon hearing the concerto in a private run through with piano accompaniment in 1896 famously burst out with, “Why on earth didn’t I know that one could write a Violoncello Concerto like this? If I had only known, I would have written one long ago.”
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The exuberant first movement Allegro begins coyly with a discreet statement of the principal theme gently voiced by clarinets and bassoons:
Matters progress more excitedly toward a fortissimo Grandioso tutti statement that is maintained until the secondary theme approaches. That tune is assigned to solo horn:
The dramatic orchestral preface sets the stage for the entrance of the solo cello voicing the principal theme, but with commanding force in B-major. The dialogue between soloist and ensemble dominates as developments ensue. Here we glimpse the mastery and maturity of Antonin Dvořák in the clarity of textures and duets that evolve between solo cello and solo winds. Along the way the cello utilizes figurations and multiple stops that provide a sonic atmosphere in which solo instruments capriciously cavort with thematic fragments. The recapitulation arrives in remarkably altered format as the secondary theme is heard first, forcefully presented by the ensemble before the solo cello extends it with greater lyricism. Soon the mixture of timbres moves on to fragments of the principal theme and momentum builds toward a brassy conclusion in B-major. A soulful clarinet announces the lyrical principal theme of the Adagio in G-major:
The clarinet gives way to the solo cello’s iteration of that theme, but this placid episode soon assumes a rather troubled character, and therein lies a story: Arriving in his homeland in May of 1895, Dvořák learned of the death of his sister-in-law, Josefina Čermáková, a singing actress and someone he at one time cherished in the hope of making her his bride. Though Čermáková held the composer in great esteem, romance was not in the cards, and in 1873 Dvořák married her younger sister (a scenario that put him in the distinguished company of Mozart and Haydn). In memory of Čermáková, Dvořák inserted in the concerto’s middle movement and finale substantial portions of Lass mich allein (Leave me alone), a sentimental ballad he composed in December of 1887. It was a particular favorite of Čermáková.
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The G-major episode becomes unsettled and concludes in agitated pairs of “sobbing” notes heard from strings and winds. A sudden change to the minor mode launches an anguished orchestral eruption, and the borrowed tune intensely appears immediately in the solo cello:
A portion of the borrowed tune, Lass mich allein
Emotional outbursts and suggestive weeping motives dominate much of the Adagio midsection, until, in conclusion, a regal trio of French horns intones the principal tune heard originally in clarinets. The Finale begins with a tonally ambiguous funeral march suggesting Gustav Mahler. Ambiguities disappear upon the entrance of the solo cello’s solid statement in B-minor:
The balance of the finale is a feast of lyricism, as melodies and motives endlessly pour forth from Dvořák’s pen, including thematic suggestions from the first two movements. In a letter to his publisher, the composer described the concluding pages:
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The finale closes gradually diminuendo, like a sigh—with reminiscences of the first and second movements—the solo dies down to pianissimo‚ then swells again. The orchestra takes up the last bars, and the whole concludes in a stormy mood. That was my idea and I cannot depart from it.
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Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36 Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 – 1893) To listeners familiar with his lavish 1812 and Romeo and Juliet overtures, his Serenade for Strings and March Slav, or his Francesca da Rimini Fantasy, it is easy to assume that by 1877 Tchaikovsky led a life characterized by one unqualified musical triumph after another. In truth, despite his reputation as one of the foremost symphonic composers in an age awash with lavish orchestral music, his professional life to that point was filled with frustrations and failures. Beyond his life as a composer, to make ends meet he was reduced to teaching in a conservatory and writing an occasional piece of music criticism. Two events in that year changed his life: 1) his disastrous marriage to Antonina Ivanovna and 2) a developing epistolary relationship with his patron, Nadezhda von Meck. Until relatively recently the issue of Tchaikovsky’s homosexuality was deftly avoided in most discussions of the man and his music. Biographers frequently dismissed the subject with demeaning comments such as that he had “an abnormal disposition which caused him much suffering...” His reasons for marrying, at age 37, someone he described as “a woman with whom I am not the least in love,” are to this day not clear. His brother Modest characterized it as “a rash act that was to cut him off forever from Moscow, and change all his habits and social relations.” The composer was adamant that the union’s failure was in no sense the responsibility of the unfortunate woman. Emotional turmoil growing from his failed marriage, coupled with financial uncertainties, made it impossible for Tchaikovsky to work until von Meck’s aid allowed him more leisurely retreats in Switzerland and Italy. It was during this series of uncommon events that the Symphony No. 4 gradually took shape, and he dedicated the work to “...my best friend,” namely Madame von Meck. The passion of their long-distance relationship (they never met even though they were known to have frequented some social events in common) is apparent in correspondence concerning this symphony. “Oh, how difficult it is to make anyone see and feel in music what we see and feel ourselves!” he wrote to her in 1878. Herself an accomplished musician, after reading the score she wrote back, “I cannot play it without a fever penetrating all the fibers of my being and for a whole day I cannot recover from the impression.” The symphony was first heard that year on a concert before the Russian Musical Society in Moscow, led by Nikolai Rubinstein.
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Tchaikovsky’s surrender to the power of Fate is most tangibly evident in the opening brass fanfare that frames each of the major sections of the first movement, and is again heard in the symphony’s finale.
“Fate” motive In a not-so-veiled reference to his sexuality, the composer defined for von Meck this recurring theme as “that fateful force which prevents the impulse to happiness from attaining its goal.” Further, describing the hidden waltz in the first theme, “you can only reconcile yourself to fate, and languish fruitlessly,” and of the shyly whimsical woodwind theme to follow, “is it not better to turn away from reality?” The gentle waltz in the violins, supported by tympani pulses, prompted “O joy! There appears...a sweet and gentle daydream.” But inevitably these moments of introspection fall victim to the irrevocable reoccurrence of Fate’s fanfare. The restful oboe solo of the Andantino reflects his thought “life has wearied you; it is pleasant to rest and look around.” In the alternating pizzicato string and wind sections of the Scherzo the composer found “disjointed images,” and feelings that were “strange, wild.” The Russian folk song dominating the Finale prompted Tchaikovsky to pen, “If you find no reasons for joy within yourself...go among the people.” The Fate motive reappears as the symphony’s conclusion approaches, and the brass imitatively work out the folk song theme; “irrepressible fate...reminds you of yourself,” he wrote. But the conclusion of the symphony is sheer exultation; in the composer’s words, “Rejoice in others’ rejoicings! To live is still possible!” These buoyant words render meaning to Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, - that the dispirited composer yet held hope of future happiness. Perhaps more pointedly, it divulges something he stated elsewhere: “Music is not illusion, but revelation.” Copyright 2014 J. S. Kleinsasser
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Celebrating the Sound of Music with the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra. 2014-2015 SEASON